When the homebrewing movement/AHA/BJCP were getting started, other organizations existed to promote and judge wine from grapes. But they weren't concerned with mead and cider, so mead and cider were sorry of adopted by the brewing community. I think at the time craft beer, mead and cider makers all felt like they were keeping alive a lost art, so that gave them something in common.

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Delmarva United Homebrewers - President by inverse coup - former president ousted himself.AHA Member since 2006BJCP Certified: B0958

There's a cider maker (brewer? Vitner?) that opened up here in Denver in the last year, I really want to check them out. I have a soft spot for cider...whenever I'm stuck in beer wasteland's, I can almost always get strongbow.

And yet, a brewery has to get a vintner's license to brew either cider or mead...

That varies by state. In MO you can get a license to make any kind of alcohol you want, as long as it's under 22% ABW. There's another license you can get to make any kind of alcohol of any strength. Where the wicket gets sticky is labeling and such with the Feds.

Yep. Mead and cider were not worthy of the oenophiles attention, and the AHA/BJCP welcomed them.

Today there is a little shunning from the BA, as these are not legaly beer amd do not fit into the BA charter.

Yes, I've noticed in my own HBC that there is a bit of a condescending attitude about mead makers - "you're not a brewer, you're just mixing", "I'd be upset if a mead won Best of Show". Likely complicated more in recent years as wine organizations are talking about, and judging meads; and you get the chance to taste meads at wine festivals.

I usually respond by saying, "If so easy, then go ahead and show me how well you can make a really good mead", or, "like brewing, it comes down to selecting the right ingredients, and properly managing fermentation." You would never say extract brewers are not really home brewers because the upfront is not as hard as doing all grain.